Crossed Paths
by SteelPorcelainMXIV
Summary: D is intrigued by the Lady, and she by him, but how long can they cooperate?
1. Chapter 1: An Unusual Meeting

**A/N:** I recently got into Vampire Hunter D and was surprised to see that, even though more novels are being added to the series, there isn't a lot of fanfiction for it. Maybe I just have a talent for finding little fandoms on this site. That being said, chapters will be posted as long as I see that people are reading Crossed Paths on my stats, and an update will occur within two weeks if anyone reviews/faves/follows. Crossed Paths will be completed either way (and I won't feel too guilty about updating late if no one's expecting it).

If anyone does read this, I hope you enjoy the first chapter~

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**Disclaimer: **All I own is the OC and the plot. Sadly, Vampire Hunter D isn't mine.

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D's confusion was visible for a moment before he quickly regained his usual emotionless countenance. From what the townspeople were more than happy to tell him when he ventured in to replenish his supplies, the Noble that had terrorized the locals was dealt with four days ago. The Lady - the name the vampire hunter asked them to call her - had even emptied a couple of the sheriff's cells for half of the bounty offered to dispose of the Noble.

_-D-*'

"Can't be the hero today, huh?" A voice chuckled from the dampir's left hand, which was loosely gripping the reins of a cyborg horse. Seeing as his services were no longer needed, the gorgeous black-clad figure quickly bought what he needed and rode out of town before he was recognized. Who knew if this little corner of the Frontier was aware of who he was yet. "I wonder if this 'Lady's' any match for a certain guy I know... If her slaying Nobility for half price is true, that tackily-dressed, quiet, emotionless guy who'd rather a bounty be raised may be out of a job."

D didn't reply. He had other matters on his mind and focused on them instead of his companion's needling.

"But why would a woman - I assume the Lady is a _woman,_" the disembodied voice chuckled, "would need a pair of hunks if she can destroy one of the Nobility on her own?"

"Why don't we ask him?" D finally spoke as he stopped about twenty yards away from a man and horse sitting just outside a random copse of trees. Even from this distance it was clear that the man was the same one featured on one of the old wanted ads the dhampir had seen while in town.

But D didn't approach him yet. There was no sign of another man or the Lady. Surely the former criminals hadn't dispatched their liberator while she was off-guard and were now plotting to raid the town that thought they were now long gone? No - a subtle change in the scenery caught D's eye and he carefully watched a small area just inside the tree line in case it happened again.

"What? What is it?"

"That tent. It's Noble-made." D's eyes were not mistaken this time. The tiny delay of fabric shifting to match the natural shadows of wind-tossed tree limbs would've fooled the eyes of a normal human, but now that he knew what to look for, the tent's perfect camouflage was rendered useless. Had the man and horse not been mere yards away from the entrance, D may have ridden right up to it before the being in his left hand noticed.

At seven feet tall and at least eight feet wide, the tent was made of a material that functioned in almost the same way as the substances used to render a Noble's more permanent safe house nearly invisible to the eye. Instead of reflecting its surroundings, however, the silky water- and lightproof fabric would change colors in order to blend into the environment. If a Noble couldn't reach shelter before daybreak they'd often have these tents prepared by their familiars, but they took time and effort to set up due to their complicated frames. The tents had fallen further out of use as vampire hunters became more skilled and daring. Delay the tent's completion long enough and the Noble would be burned to a crisp under the rising sun.

D dismounted and started the rest of the way on foot, not wanting to appear hostile...yet. He could draw the sword slung across his back in less than an instant if needed, but so far the man hadn't even turned his head toward him. No human would willingly fall asleep in such an upright position without something to lean back against.

The horse looked up briefly, then went back to nibbling at the random tufts of grass that were fortunate enough to survive in the almost desert-like environment.

"D, something's wrong with him."

D didn't respond. He'd wondered when the creature in his left hand would notice. After pausing to make sure the recently freed criminal was not going to confront him, he raised his left hand and placed it on the man's forehead.

"Hmm..."

"..."

"Hmmmm..."

"..."

"_Hmmmmm_phhhttpffff!?"

"I slipped." D said apathetically as he pulled his left hand from the dirt. "Did you discover what was wrong with him?"

The wizened little face glared up at D from its place in the dhampir's left palm and took a moment to blow dust out of its tiny nostrils before answering, "He's been hypnotized, but he's almost as far off as someone with a Noble's Kiss. I haven't seen anything like this before."

"Then I guess we must see what is residing in that tent." The dhampir knew the being couldn't be a vampire, as the Nobility would much rather reach the safety of their castles than camp. In fact, he already had a guess as to who was here. It was only a wild assumption that he didn't want to verify, but it was the only conclusion that made sense, especially since the cyborg horse had made no attempt to flee when it scented him earlier.

A tangle of arms and legs met D's eyes as he flipped a flap of the tent open with a flick of his sword, but only the man was undressed - the woman was wearing a plain gown so sheer that not much of her perfect form was left to the imagination. Thick black hair cascaded over her back and covered her face, which was nuzzling into her lover's neck while her slender hands rubbed his back soothingly. But she was only touching him out of habit; her lover neither moved nor made a sound, and under the musky smell that dominated the enclosed space were undertones of blood.

The woman slowly pushed herself away from the man in her arms and moved her hair to the side, revealing the twin fang marks in the former criminal's neck and her own face at the same time. Her almost waxy skin looked even paler when framed by her dark locks. Regarding D with a surprisingly young but serious face, she wiped her perfect little lips with her tongue and adjusted her gown so it would provide a little more coverage. "Their death warrants, signed by the sheriff and mayor of the town where they came from, are in my left pocket," a hand waved toward a long navy blue cloak folded neatly beside the entrance to the tent.

"You seem awfully prepared for my intrusion." D noted as he verified the documents she claimed to - and did indeed - possess.

"You aren't the first vampire hunter to find me in such a...vulnerable state, mister..."

"D."

Large, dark eyes grew even larger. "Valiere. Or the Lady."

"Just D."


	2. Chapter 2: The Impromptu Companion

"_The _vampire hunter D... Take the other man if you like, it's the least I can do for unintentionally claiming a bounty you were set on."

D wordlessly put the documents away and folded her cloak in the same manner that he'd found it in. Although the offer was tempting, it was her reward for destroying the Noble and he believed that he had no right to accept it. There were dehydrated blood and plasma pills in his saddlebags that he could consume instead, as lugging live humans around would be inconvenient and raise the humans' hostility towards him.

Valiere smirked inwardly as she finished her meal, as she hadn't expected him to reply. The rumors always claimed that the other dhampir was the strong and silent type. Her eyebrows rose in slight surprise when she looked up to find that D had already left her tent, but if she listened carefully she could hear the shifting of a horse that wasn't her own outside. He hadn't completely left after all.

A quick motion peeled the floor of the tent up and revealed a narrow but deep trench carved into the arid soil, which Valiere rolled the body into before collapsing the sides so there would be no visible trace of her actions. Another tug on the tent's folds returned the floor to its proper place, but the Lady was already clothing herself in the dark shift, long pants, elaborate but functional dress, and heavy boots that had been placed neatly beside her cloak by the tent's entrance. The cloth wasn't the thickest but kept the sun off of her pale skin well enough if she wore a few layers. Once she pulled the cloak's hood over her face, she was ready to leave.

_-D-*'

"She's quite a looker, isn't she?" the voice from D's left hand chuckled as the dhampir mounted his cyborg horse. "A little rough around the edges, but a girl like that could be full of fun little surprises."

"She does not interest me in that sense."

"But you're sticking around because you're _lonely._ I've been with you long enough to pick up on it."

"..."

"Maybe you'll decide that she'll be good for you once you get to know each other."

Valiere chose to exit the tent at that moment, turning to collapse the temporary shelter with a press to one of the supporting bars in its frame before striding to her own cyborg horse. With a nod to D, she packed a few wrapped parcels, then slung the still-dazed criminal over the back of her mount.

"We'll be off then?"

D nodded and turned towards the east. He'd heard whispers of more vampiric activity in that direction from immigrants in a couple of towns he passed through recently.

_-D-*'

Hearing another set of hoofbeats was strange but somehow comforting. D wondered why that was as he and the Lady continued to ride in silence. Could it be that he was in denial and the parasite in his left hand was correct in its assumption that he was in need of a companion? A friend? A lover? No, definitely not - most likely it was referring to someone that would relate to and understand the struggle of living in two different worlds. Her ways of coping would definitely be of interest to him.

D glanced at the Lady out of the corner of his eye, as she was riding beside him, and noted that she'd removed her hood not long after sundown and tied her hair into a loose ponytail so the cool night wind could brush her slender neck. The Lady was definitely younger than he was, but had a slash through her left eyebrow that had not healed. Her right ear had at least five piercings; the left was not where he could see it. A glint of amber light by her jawline hinted at some small pendant hanging from an earring but her hair was thick enough to prevent him from discerning which one. The navy cloak hugging her frame was clearly of the highest quality and tailored to fit her comfortably, its clasp a dark silver diamond inlaid with a lighter cross-shaped design. How ironic, that one of Noble blood would adorn their clothing with the sole device that could destroy them.

"I don't want them getting any closer than necessary."

D blinked. He hadn't even realized he'd been staring. Without responding he turned back to face the direction they were traveling in.

"There is a certain group of Nobles that have wronged me, but I will destroy others."

"Revenge is not an easy path to tread."

The Lady nodded but didn't reply. She was too busy trying to find a way to make him speak again. While he was drawn to her by her appearance, she grew more interested in him when he spoke.

**A/N: **This won't be a DxOC fic, if anyone's wondering. I don't think I could write D well enough to make settling down and having a family sound like something he would do, even if I was writing DxDoris. Future plot can only happen if these two bond a bit.

Thanks for reading~

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Jeralee: I'm glad Crossed Paths interests you :) Bloodlust is a good intro to Vampire Hunter D - it's really close to the third novel so there's pretty much no out-of-character stuff.


	3. Chapter 3: A Warning Sign

D and Valiere rode through the night and well into the next day before the female dhampir showed any signs of fatigue. D would've been mildly impressed if he hadn't traveled longer distances without stopping at her age. Without saying a word, he guided his cyborg horse to the shady side of a group of huge red rocks that stuck out of the earth at odd angles.

"The next town is half a day's ride to the northeast," he stated matter-of-factly as he dropped the reins onto his mount's neck, then easily dismounted. "We can rest here until sundown."

Valiere nodded thankfully and swung down from her saddle. The shade was already doing her some good, but she needed to set up her tent and hide out in the patch of midnight it made for a few hours. She'd raised and taken it down so often that it took a mere three minutes for her to complete either process.

"If you'd like to come in..."

D declined by simply removing his sword and sitting down in the shade, resting the unadorned scabbard across his lap as he leaned back against the smooth red rock.

The Lady nodded and freed the former criminal from her cyborg horse before slipping into her tent with him.

"Are you sure you weren't too hard on her, D? I mean, what if she ups and goes because you're always pushing your limits?"

"That's why I stopped here." D frowned and turned his left hand over so he could regard the tiny, wrinkled face in the middle of his palm with an almost indifferent look. "We can reach the town by dawn, then she can rest while we gather information."

"How is that any different from what we usually do?"

One of D's eyebrows rose a little but he didn't bother answering.

_-D-*'

A soft tapping on one of the supporting poles at the entrance to Valiere's tent signaled D's desire to break camp. The female dhampir quickly rose from her meal and made herself more presentable by slipping into her shift and pants, but when D didn't enter she disposed of the body in the same manner as the first and finished dressing.

"We're leaving?"

"Yes." D stated as he made sure that the little luggage he had was secured before swinging back into the saddle.

Valiere was pleased to note that the elder dhampir didn't move a muscle until she'd ridden up beside him. Surely she'd inconvenienced him in some way - he'd clearly noticed that she'd been flagging a little in the heat earlier that day, but she certainly didn't feel like she deserved any special treatment. Maybe she'd try those blood capsules he mentioned as a sort of thank-you.

"Valiere."

D stopped so abruptly that, had the Lady not had superhuman reflexes, she would have ridden right into him. She immediately scolded herself for not paying attention to her surroundings.

"What is..." She started, then caught the familiar scent of blood on the wind. It was close but fairly fresh.

"There."

Not too far off the road was a weathered wooden signpost with the barely-legible names of several towns on its wooden arms. It hadn't been maintained for some time now, but as the pair rode closer, they both tensed as the addition became more obvious. The lower of the two arms pointing in the direction they were headed had a fresh piece of dark wood nailed over the town's name so the arm now read:

_49.9 km  
__~ PROPERTY OF THE NOBLE EIDRIS ~_

The words were written in a clear, elegant script and shone darkly in the moonlight, the blood used to write them most likely mixed with luminous ink. No warning could be clearer.

"We've found our next bounty,"

Valiere felt a small swell of pride in her chest at D's use of 'we.' "So we have."

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**A/N: **The next chapter, 'Of Anforth and Eidris,' should be at least as long as the first chapter because Valiere gets into a bit of trouble while D's wandering around town.

Thanks for reading~


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